Different
by eloquant.grace
Summary: Have you ever seen someone, and known they were ... different? It’s not something you can quite understand. It’s not something you can really know how or why. It’s just, one of those things you just know without really knowing at all.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm not really sure where this is going ... but its the ultimate form of procrastination. haha mmm i dont own anything well nothing related to HM anyway (no im not some bogan living in a card board box :P) haha well i hope you enjoy ... i dont really mind if you review or not ... its interesting to hear peoples oppinions at best but i just like knowing that my work is read haha unless i know its dodge then tell me and ill take it off =) chances are ill edit it when i find time ... for once its not complete because i just dont know where its going.... but enjoy all the same =) xx**

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**Different**

Have you ever seen someone, and known they were ... well, different? It's not something you can quite understand. It's not something you can really know how or why. It's just, one of those things you just know without really knowing at all. But for some reason, without an explanation, or a valid excuse, Oliver knew that something was different, and it was her.

**. . . . . **

Oliver watched the playful breeze as it flippantly drew patterns with the autumn leaves in the wind. He watched as the sun struggled to shine its final rays above soaring mountains, a warm final farewell to earth below. Another day had ended, and another day would soon begin. The dark slowly began to encompass the earth, Oliver watched as the long and lonely shadows began to grow. His attention averted to the streetlights as they flickered on, one by one their light slowly cascaded down the street like an ongoing Mexican wave. He smiled. He didn't mind that she was late. Not today. Twilight was his favourite time of day, and he knew she had an excuse. She always did, and no matter how crazy, or untrue he knew it was, he'd always be here. He'd always listen, and he'd always hold her close. He'd always be here, waiting.

He checked his watch. Worry crossed his brow, it was getting late. He stretched his legs allowing the circulation to return along with the distinct pain of pins and needles. He grimaced. This he could do without. It was then that a familiar voice broke nature's silent song.

"I wasn't sure you'd still be here." the voice of his childhood friend whispered. His gentle gaze followed her as she sat next to him on the park bench.

"You know, I'll always be here." He said quietly. She nodded silently, allowing the gesture to speak for her. Her hoodie covered her face, but he knew that she was upset.

"But what if I'm not?" Oliver looked at her and instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He drew her in so that she could rest on his shoulder, but something was different. She flinched at his touch. Her moves were uncertain. Yet her head still fit perfectly in his crest, like two pieces of a puzzle perfectly designed.

Oliver gulped and bit his bottom lip. He was one of her best friends, and she his. He sighed before speaking her name.

"Lilly?" Gently he turned her shoulders so that she was facing him. His finger gently brushed under her chin so he could look into her eyes. 'Lilly?' he spoke again softly. She gazed at him before looking away. Uncertainty; Worry; Fear. Only with him did her eyes ever expose the fragile soul that had been caught in the hands of fate for far too long.

"I just don't understand." She was being strong, but he knew her voice would crack. He waited. He knew she would go on when she was ready.

"I just _can't_ understand." She said more definitively. She looked at him. Oliver nodded. Honestly he didn't quite understand either, but his male senses told him agreeing would be a lot easier for him in the long run.

"Ollie?" she spoke again. "What if there was no tomorrow?" her voice was full of wonder, as if she were dreaming of a future that never existed. It was unnerving. "What if ..."

"What if what Lilly?" Oliver stood and spoke with a slight annoyance, his actions interrupting her thought process. Her stare dove deep into his eyes, reading the unsaid questions in his soul. He blinked attempting to hide what he knew she'd already seen. She nodded.

"I'll stop." She said quietly as if she was reading what he was thinking. He looked at her. The life and light sparkle was gone from her eyes again. Something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry ..." his voice calmer, softer. She looked up. Something was different. His gut churned out the warnings. He cocked his head to the side, puzzled as to what he was really looking for. " ... I was out of line Lilly ... I'm sorry."

"It's okay ..."

"Lilly ..." She looked up, their eyes making contact.

"I have to tell you something"  
"I have to tell you something."

They both chuckled before turning serious. Oliver's smile turned to a gentle frown, Lilly's smile had disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Can we say it at the same time?" Lilly suggested. "I don't know but I'm just not sure of how you'll react." she spoke to the ground uncertainly. Oliver nodded

"Okay then ... on the count of three then?" Oliver suggested.

"1" ... that wasn't so bad, was it?

"2" ... should I really be telling him this?

"3" ... She deserves to know how I feel. Does he really have to know the truth?

"I really like you Lilly."  
"I can't see you anymore."

They both looked at each other, each registering what the other had said, and both registering the stupidity of what they had spoken now knowing a smaller bit of the truth.

Oliver swallowed and bit his bottom lip.

"Why?"

"Why do you always need an explanation?" The tears cascaded violently down her cheeks. Every part of her screamed mistake, yet she knew this was the right thing to do, no matter how much it hurt. It was right for him. She got up to run, but he caught her wrist.

"Lilly. Look at me." She flinched and every muscle in her body tensed as he grabbed her wrist. He noted her reaction. Something was different. He let go. He didn't want to hurt her. She gingerly held her wrist, rubbing it tenderly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." he said quietly. She looked at him. Fear evident in her eyes. His heart sunk. He looked to her hand that she still held tenderly, he noted the pallet of colours that had formed on her wrist.

"Lilly?" he questioned, unsure of what he'd just done.

"It wasn't you," she said quietly and ashamed. She swallowed back her well of emotions waiting to crack at every seam.

"was it ..." he didn't even dare to ask. He looked up to meet her eyes again, but when he had she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**. . . . .**

Different.

That was the only way to describe it.

Slowly.

That was how it happened.

Gradually.

She had disappeared, she had changed. She was different.

**. . . . .**

Oliver approached the bench. It was a familiar companion to him now. Here he would sit and wait. He did so every day. Just like he had promised. He would always be here, even if she was not. He would always wait for her, no matter how late. Time was now his friend, he didn't mind waiting. Time was endless; it would always be endless, even if life was not. He sighed watching his breath fog in a white mist before him. The stars twinkled in the midnight sky. The tree's stood hauntingly bare as the wind howled and cooed its winter melody.

"You know Lilly ..." Oliver began to speak as if she was there. "Life's different."

He closed his eyes reminiscing of the past. Slowly she had changed. Slowly he watched as every day the life in her eyes faded ... until it happened. It was gone.

Gradually he had watched as she disappeared. She no longer skated. She no longer smiled. She no longer came to the bench ... and then she no longer came to school. She had disappeared. But Oliver knew better than that, he knew she still here ... somewhere.

"Lilly, I'm worried for you." He spoke softly. The wind whisked the remnants of foliage off the ground. The rustling tune a nightime lullaby to the creatures of the park and to him. The cold gnawed at his cheeks. But he would wait. Just a little longer.

He coughed as his lungs rejected his decision. The cold burned the back of his throat like a treakling bitter substance. He shook his head in dissapointment. Dark shadows encompassed his eyes.

"I'm sorry Lil's ... guess I'm going to have to call it early." His voice a raspy contrast to the words he'd spoke before. It was then, in the faintest whisper of the night he could have sworn that he'd heard her whisper back 'okay'.

He looked around, the hopefulness in his heart shattered by only what his eyes could see.

He would go home, yet again ... alone.

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**AN: ughhh you can so tell when i have an exam comming up ... its when i spend the most time on here ... its almost as bad as facebook ohhh well at least procrastination here is like productive in a sense. I'm still not really sure where its going =/ but anywhoos im sure we'll see :) have a great weekend, and im always open to oppinions or suggestions**

**x**


	3. Chapter 3

**. . . . .**

Had he broken his promise?

Maybe he was late?

She had watched as he would sit there. Every day she would come to see him, but never would she come out of hiding. She watched humbly as he would keep his promise.

Every day he would sit.

Hopeful he would come.

Patiently he would wait.

But every day he would do so in futility. He would do so alone.

Day after day he would wait as the sun began to sink beneath the hilltops. Day after day he would watch as the twilight fell. It was here he would say goodbye to the old day. It was here he would welcome the oncoming night. He would wait as an old day ended, he would wait again when the new one began.

"Tomorrow is a new day," he would always say. Every day he would allow the hope of thoughts to stir deep within his heart. Maybe tomorrow would be _different_.

Ever hopeful.

Ever patient.

Ever waiting.

Always the same.

But tonight was different.

He never came.

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**AN: i hope you all liked it ... thank-you for reading :) keep safe and have a great day/night. let me know if i've made a mistake ... i usually only write if im procrastinating so i tend to post them before i edit them ... doot de doot de doo. i guess ill go live up to the name of death by studying (stu-dying: student dying) haha wow i need sleep. take care guys :)**

**x**


	4. Chapter 4

******AN:** I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update ... we'll i think it's a dying story but we'll see I'm sorry it ends so dodgily I guess I lost motivation. I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think :)

**xx **

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**Chapter 4 **

The sun rotated around the earth casting its shadow's and allowing night to fall.

One day.

Two day's.

Three day's.

The park stood lonesome. Deserted. White snowflakes gingerly fell covering the ground below in a soft blanket of white. The tree's stood sorrowfully, their bare branches naked and exposed. Foot prints gradually faded, their marks mere memories of those who had previously passed by. It was silent. Only the sound of the moaning winds could be heard. Night had fallen, and yet again the parks companion had not arrived.

**. . . . .**

The sound of boots chomped grudgingly through the snow. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. He was sick, really sick ... and this is what he had wanted most. She rolled her eyes as she approached the bench taking in her surroundings. There was something weird about this place. Something _different_.

She had become mindful of her surroundings.

She looked around, she could feel it. Someone was there. Someone was watching. She looked around again hoping to see the stranger's eyes that seemingly stared straight through her. She shivered as her spine tingled, yet somehow, she wasn't afraid.

Carefully she placed the package he had sent her to deliver under the park bench. She looked around once more, hoping to justify her sense of paranoia she felt. She sighed, and looked to the crisp night sky as she stood. The streetlights reflected eerily on the snow below; beautifully. She could understand why Oliver loved it here so much. It was then she remembered the envelope. Sinking her hand into her pocket she carefully pulled out the small note. She held the note preciously in her hands, like a child holding their first Christmas present come Christmas day. Her blue eyes reflected the curiosity deep within her, contemplating the mysteries inside. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, it always had, and it always would despite her gut telling her it was wrong.

Carefully she peeled the envelope open to hoping not to betray her tampering. The brunette mumbled the 6 words that were written on the piece of paper inside. Her breath fogged in a soft white mist as she repeated the words again. The black ink proved a stark contrast to the white paper to which they were written.

She was right. She would never understand him. She threw the note down to where the package lay.

Upset.

Confused.

Annoyed.

She walked away.

The sounds of her boots were an almost rhythmic beat fading into the distance. She didn't care as she felt the stranger's eyes follow her into the distance. She didn't care to wait to see who would retrieve the package; she just wanted to go home. Somehow she knew that the message meant his heart would never be hers, and maybe it never was.

He was broken.

And so was she.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: It's done :), I'm sorry for the very dodgily written ending ... I just can't stand not finishing things ... if you don't like it let me know and I may change it. I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you all have a great week and good luck with mid terms. **

**xx ..**

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**Chapter 5**

Distant memories.

Haunted shadows.

Fatigued minds.

Past.

Present.

Today.

Tommorow.

Dreams.

Bitter-sweet ...

Sour ...

Reality.

The curtains blew lucidly in the breeze. The wind whistled softly as it entered the small draft room. The faint sounds of machines hummed melancholically creating a soft background noise of what Oliver knew was going to be his new home. He stared blankly at the window that viewed the lonesome park he treasured close to his heart, guilt ridden and troubled, he finally began to drift off into a sleep that had long being awaiting him.

**. . . . .**

She shivered as the cold breeze continually nipped at her skin. Silent in the shadows she watched as the young man slept before her. Yet to her though, he was not a man but still a boy. Still the loveable donut he always had been and was. Only this time ... there was something _different_.

He was pail.

Each breath was a laborious chore.

He was fragile.

He was broken.

He was sick, and it was different.

A tear escaped silently as it made its way down the icy slopes of her skin. She stood silent in the shadow, non intrusive and friendly. The darkness of the corners we're inviting as she hid from the dim light that peeked into his room. She had missed him.

A lot.

Slowly she ventured from the comfort of her corner to meet him. Her eyes gazed over his body. She was scared.

"Oliver?" she whispered. Her voice just small peep filled with innocence and uncertainty. Her heart lurched at the uncertainty of everything. To her, it felt as if someone was constantly dropping her porcelain heart and allowing it to shatter into a million shards below. Weakly she stood as she slowly reached forward and touched his ghostly face. Her hands were rough, but her touch soft.

On contact, the young boy's eye-lids seemingly fluttered open in a daze. A gentle smile pulled softly at the corners of his dry and pale mouth.

"Lilly, they're here." He whispered softly.

Lilly, shook her head as she looked around confused at the statement she had heard.

"Who's here Ollie? I don't see?" she whispered back, as droplets of salt water began to form and cloud her eyes.

"They're here Lilly." He whispered again. She followed his gaze to the darkened corners of the room. She could feel they're presence but her sight wouldn't let her see. She knew they were not alone.

"Lilly?" His voice a quieter whisper than before. Her hand gently cupped the side of his face as she stared into his eyes.

"I'm here Ollie, I'm here." Despite trying, he couldn't muster the strength to coherently say his last three words, but he didn't mind. He knew she knew, and she always would. And with their hands embraced and fingers entwined, Olliver Oken, life time friend, and one true love took took his last and final breath.

Tears fell down the young girls face as realisation dawned over her. Small salty droplets rolled silently down her cheeks in innocent streams cleansing it of the dirt that had once made home there. Her body curled over the vacant shell of the boy she once loved in a protective embrace. Despite her weakend condition she knew sleep would not come easy, however in the quiet of the night she swore that she could hear the memories of his soft and masculine voice lulling her into a deep sleep. In the darkness of her dreams, it was then that she saw 'them' too, and just as he had been before, the heart and soul of Lillian Truscott, the never broken concrete angel, was drawn to corner of where they stood.

For now she would not fear as she left the shell of her body behind. A source of light shone brightly, a stark contrast to the dark and gloomy hosptial room, but she was not blinded. The light illuminated the path as she joined the one she loved in a world where happiness was never a dream, and the innocence of their love could never again be destroyed for all eternity.

**. . . . .**

**In a world where reality is worse than dreams, I count the stars and wait, that thou may take upon me mercy, and let my tender heart follow thee to be a star as well.**


End file.
